Apathy, lack of toilets polluting water in Cebu

The seeming apathy of some barangay and city officials on proper waste disposal, and the lack of toilets have been blamed for the contamination of underground aquifers and water sources in Metropolitan Cebu.

These points were raised in a recent forum on water cleanliness last Friday that tackled on water supply and sanitation behavior in Metro Cebu.

The discussion, dubbed as "Clean Water Makes Dirty," was part of a research of Daniel Bennett, a candidate for economics degree at Brown University in the US.

It was supposed to be participated in by barangay officials for an exchange of ideas to seek ways to resolve the problem but only barangay captain Felix Abella of Labangon and a few local government representatives came to the discussion prompting some participants to comment that the apathy of some officials may be a factor to the pollution of water in the metropolis.

Kalikupan Law Group president Gloria Ramos, who was one of the reactors in the forum, said that barangays should be at the forefront in educating the people on cleanliness, and on proper segregation and collection of waste to avoid contamination of water sources.

"We should practice participatory governance where residents are involved in barangay activities. We have good laws but the problem is that these are not properly implemented," Ramos said, as she emphasized the importance of wider involvement in sanitation projects.

Ramos further proposed that residents, especially those living near creeks and riverbanks, should be required to build their own toilets and septic tanks before they would be allowed to build their houses.

Bennett, for his part, said there should be an institutional method or system in proper garbage collection and disposal in barangays and cities. Local governments should invest in sanitation infrastructure to accompany water supply, he said.

Bennett observed that poor sanitation and improper waste disposal have resulted to water contamination and subsequently illnesses, like diarrhea and cholera, mostly to children.

The lack of education could be one of the reasons for the residents' cold treatment or lack of concern over sanitary practices to obtain a clean supply of water, said Bennett.

"Households are directly responsible for their sanitary practices. They have no toilets, wastes get into the aquifers and contaminate the water supply," he said. - Wenna A. Berondo